Opinion | Jeremy Lin chasing dying NBA dream while spurning fame, fortune and a prolonged career in China
- Lin’s one last ‘crazy’ shot at the NBA likely to backfire as G League is not the place for him
- The Taiwanese-American could go the route of Stephon Marbury and turn his fame in China into a golden ticket
Although they are a shell of their former dynastic self, the Golden State Warriors can still put on a show. The Klay Thompson-less squad, led by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, staged a stunning comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA on Tuesday night.
The Lakers, defending champions, who boast the best record in the league, went up and then seemingly forgot Curry is still one of the most deadliest three-point shooters and pick-and-roll players.
Problem is the Warriors will be hard-pressed to even make the play-offs in the dogfight that has become the Western Conference. Their dynasty days, in which they won three rings in four years starting in 2014-15, are long gone. The league is trending younger, bigger and meaner while Kevin Durant floated off east to join the Brooklyn Nets.
The Warriors can no longer compete with superstar-studded teams like the Lakers and the Nets, who look formidable if they can sort out their soap opera roster. Thus, Curry and Green are surrounded by young players like 25-year-old former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins, who came over in a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and 24-year-old Eric Paschall, a highly touted power forward.
The Warriors also have 20-year-old point guard Nico Mannion waiting in the wings. The Italian-American is on a two-way contract with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.